Zhang Zhiying was born in August, 1945. She retired from the Jianggang Farm, Dongtai, Jiangsu Province. Her husband, Luo Qiyou, had been a cadre with the same farm. He lost the ability to speak after suffering a facial paralysis. Their son found a job in Shanghai after graduating from college and got married there.
In October, 1993, Zhang fell from a dump truck loaded with maize when she was harvesting crops. She took an impact to the head and was diagnosed with mild cerebral concussion. After her retirement, she was troubled with various diseases linked with aging such as hypertension, myocarditis, wind-cold, etc.
In October, 1998, her son took her to Shanghai Blue Cross Brain Hospital for expert consultation by the encephalopathy doctors. The experts offered a combined treatment program including acupuncture and moxibustion, massage, electro-magnetic stimulation and rehabilitation training after performing various examinations. Since then she lived with her son and her conditions were improving because of regular rehabilitation treatment.
One morning, Zhang found a Falun Gong pamphlet in a bicycle basket, which said that Falun Gong was one out of 84,000 Ways of Buddhism. Although it was never widely known in this Period of civilization, it helped save numerous people to the Paradise in the pre-civilization period. Since Falun Gong was a unique way of Life and Disposition Dual Cultivation that could improve health and spirit, the practitioners looked younger than their peers. It could also purify human bodies of bad things including diseases, etc. Once you reached a point in the practicing of Falun Gong, you could achieve Consummation and ascend to the Heaven and become a Buddha.
When she read of so many benefits Falun could bring about and how easy it was to learn, Zhang contacted the local assistance station and began practicing on her own initiative.
In July, 1999, the government banned Falun Gong according to law. However, she kept on practicing secretly and often gathered with Gong mates of the former local Falun Gong group. They even did things like delivering Falun Gong propaganda materials and posting Falun Gong tips. Her son tried every means to dissuade her after he knew that, but to no avail.
In the spring of 2001, her son sent her to their hometown for treatment, after realizing that his persuasion was futile. It was his hope that when she left Shanghai, she would break off with her Gong mates, and might give up practicing and resume medical treatment. He also wished that when she returned home, she could look after his father who was aging and suffering from language disorder.
But all his good hopes came to nothing because she never stopped practicing for a single day after returning home. She contacted other Gong mates on her own initiative and participated in Falun Gong activities. She threw away secretly all the hypotensors and antirheumatics her son regularly mailed her. Although her husband knew what she was doing, he was unable to interfere. Their son was too busy with his career to go into the details of her treatment. He had thought that she was taking medicines as he told her to. And as the result, her health went from bad to worse.
One day in September, 2009, Zhang was suddenly struck by continuous stomachache. The pain was so sharp that she rolled on the bed and sweat all over. Her family sent her to the hospital for examination, which showed that she had contracted uterine teratoma. The doctor told them that teratomas were mostly benign, but had a higher probability to grow malignant with the increase of age. Once teratomas were diagnosed, they should be removed by surgery as soon as possible to prevent canceration due to neglect. Plus, the doctors told her, the tumor could be removed with minimally invasive surgical technology.
Her son prepared to send her to Suzhou Cancer Hospital for resection surgery, but she was resolutely against the idea, and refused to receive treatment of any kind. She told him, "What's with me is not cancer but Immortal Infant that I've got through practicing Falun Gong. Only those with higher levels of Gong can obtain it."
Her son was filled with anger and bitterness as he saw how much his mother was poisoned by Falun Gong. But his earnest petition was futile and he could not force her to take the surgery. He had no choice but to arrange her to be hospitalized in Dongtai People's Hospital for treatment, hoping to dissuade her slowly afterwards. He never expected that she could sneak out of the hospital and return home when he went back to Shanghai to run his business.
The first thing she did after coming home was to find her Gong mates and share with them the joy of having gained an Immortal Infant. She also invited them to practice together to increase her Gong powers so that the Infant could grow faster and she could reach Consummation and become a Buddha.
Her son was burning with anxiety when he learned of what happened. He asked all their family members and friends to persuade her together. But she called them demons that stood in her way of practicing and said she didn't even know them, saying "When you practice Falun Gong, you have to get rid of all attachments, familial and friendly alike. Only then can you get to higher levels and reach Consummation."
At the end of his rope, her son went to a big hospital in Shanghai to consult the experts. He was told that the disease was a benign tumor that had not turned malignant yet. But in the absence of control, it would cause damage to the uterus, resulting in cases of rupture hemorrhage. Surgery was the best option. But taking medicines could control the growth of tumor temporarily, if the patient was against the surgery.
Following the doctor's advice, her son decided to give her medicines first, containing the illness; and then play to the score with the development of her tumor. As he knew that she would refuse to take medicine, he found someone to look after her, and told her that what they gave her was nourishment instead of medicines. He attempted to get her condition under control by deceiving her into taking medicines unwittingly.
When her condition had been bought under control after some time, her son discussed with her again about the surgery. She turned him down and told him, "What's the use of medicine? Am I not alive and kicking? No surgery and no medicine, I am just fine! I should thank master Li Hongzhi for all this, for Falun Gong has saved my life."
Seeing that she still clung to her obsession, he revealed the truth to her that her condition improved only because she was deceived into taking medicines, hoping this could persuade her. But on hearing this, she collapsed into bed, trembling all over, babbling: "Master, it was not that I cheated you on purpose. It was that my son has cheated me! If only I'd erased my familial affections in the first place!"
Since March, 2010, she began to fast against her son, refusing treatment of any kind, and kept on saying she had never had a son, nor would she take any medicine or treatment. Holding the book Zhuan Falun in her hands, she kept on murmuring uncontrollably before the portrait of Li Hongzhi.
In August, 2010, she had a shock following unbearable stomachache. Her son hurried her to the hospital for first aid. But the doctor said that her teratoma had gone malignant and the tumor had grown bigger. The resection surgery must be done immediately or her life could be threatened. Her son fell to his knees, wailed and begged her to take the surgery. But she was not touched at all, still convinced that what was with her was not a tumor, but an Immortal Infant. She would in no way agree to take the surgery. Furthermore, she smiled to herself since she was getting closer to Consummation with the growth of the "Immortal Infant".
Consummation never came. In March, 2011, just after the Spring Festival, Zhang Zhiying died from complications of tumor rupture, hemorrhage, infection, etc.